Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
Gamemaker Studio 2 vs Unity: What are the differences?
Gamemaker Studio 2 and Unity are popular game development engines. Let's explore the key differences between them.
Development Platforms: Gamemaker Studio 2 primarily targets Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms, while Unity supports a wider range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and more. Unity provides more flexibility for developers looking to target a variety of platforms.
Programming Languages: Gamemaker Studio 2 uses its proprietary scripting language called GML (Gamemaker Language), which is specifically designed for game development. On the other hand, Unity offers support for multiple programming languages including C#, JavaScript, and Boo. This provides developers with more options and the ability to choose their preferred programming language.
Asset Management: Gamemaker Studio 2 utilizes a drag-and-drop system for handling assets, allowing users to easily import and organize their game elements. Unity, however, employs a hierarchical asset management system where users can organize resources using folders and subfolders. This hierarchical structure provides better organization and ease of access to assets in large projects.
Visual Scripting: Gamemaker Studio 2 incorporates a visual scripting system called Drag and Drop (DnD), which enables users to create game logic without writing any code. In contrast, Unity offers a similar visual scripting system called Playmaker, but it is not included in the standard Unity package and needs to be purchased separately. Gamemaker Studio 2 provides a built-in visual scripting solution, making it more accessible for beginners and those who prefer a code-free approach.
User Interface Design: Gamemaker Studio 2 features a user-friendly and simplified user interface where users can easily navigate and access game components. Unity, on the other hand, provides a more complex and feature-rich user interface with a wide range of customizable options. Unity's interface offers more flexibility and customization for advanced users who prefer a high level of control over their game development process.
Community and Support: Both Gamemaker Studio 2 and Unity have active communities and offer extensive support resources. However, Unity has a larger community with a wider range of resources, tutorials, and plugins available. Unity's larger community means there are more opportunities for collaboration, learning, and troubleshooting.
In summary, Gamemaker Studio 2 primarily targets Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android platforms and uses its proprietary scripting language GML, while Unity supports a wider range of platforms, offers support for multiple programming languages, and provides more flexibility in asset management, visual scripting, user interface design, and community support.
When I started to learn game development, I've tried to use Unity multiple times because it's the most popular option. But never get it worked because of the clunky UI which is very hard to understand for a new user. After some time, I've decided to try UE4 despite there was a lot of rumors that it's "heavy" or requires an AAA team. And suddenly it clicked, everything works as I expecting, UI is clear and much more powerfull, no need to build custom tools to work on the game itself. Blueprints are very helpful for beginners, C++ has a lot of "syntax-sugar" - macroses, a lot of convenient in-engine types for everything. Later while working with Unreal, I've realized it has very consistent roadmap with constant improvements and adding new features. At the same time, each major version update is painless so you can upgrade your project during development to get new features. UE4 is free to use with the full list of features and you only have to pay royalty after getting your first $1 million from the project (and that's just the default case, you can always discuss custom license with an upfront fee, if you want to).
I chose Unity over Unreal Engine because Unity has a more user friendly UI for beginners looking to learn game development. Additionally, as someone who uses a lot of online resources to learn new languages and tools, I found a lot of tutorials covering game development with Unity as the core engine. This doesn't mean Unreal is not a great choice for game development, I just personally found learning game development much smoother with the amount of resources available with Unity.
Pros of Gamemaker Studio 2
- Powerful System3
- Good User Interface3
- Quick Prototyping3
- Good Documentation3
- Incredibly Easy to Learn3
- Most Popular 2d Game engine2
- Also Support 3D2
- Now Free2
Pros of Unity
- Because it's a powerful engine, you can build anything17
- C# language15
- Very Popular12
- Easy to Use8
- Cross Platform7
- He Has A Free VErsion6
- 2nd Game Engine In The World5
- Good Choise4
- Very Large Showcase4
Sign up to add or upvote prosMake informed product decisions
Cons of Gamemaker Studio 2
- Quite Expensive3
- HTML5 export is buggy3
- Not the best scripting language2
- Limited Support For OOP1
- Unstable1
Cons of Unity
- Hard to get started with4
- Clunky UI4
- Closed source4
- No consistency with updates3
- Requires to build a lot of tools3
- Gigantic by being 9gb (thats what setup says)2
Sign up to add or upvote consMake informed product decisions
What is Gamemaker Studio 2?
What is Unity?
Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!
What companies use Gamemaker Studio 2?
What companies use Unity?
Sign up to get full access to all the companiesMake informed product decisions
What tools integrate with Gamemaker Studio 2?
What tools integrate with Unity?
Sign up to get full access to all the tool integrationsMake informed product decisions
Blog Posts
+7